1818. Was mockery at her fate-opposing prayer, Ye vainly deem your privilege, your right, To shame ye.' She endur'd the flashing stroke 445 Of th' axe athwart her eyesight, and the blood G. ART. 4. MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. Further Discoveries in Natural History, I HAD the pleasure to address you in 1. Vespertilio mystax. R. (Whisker 2. Vespertilio humeralis. R. (Black shoulder bat.) Tail three-sevenths, upper incisores 2, remote, lower 6, body dark brown above, shoulders black, gray beneath, wings, tail, ears and snout blackish, eyes under the hair, ears longer than the head, elliptical, auriculated. Length 3 1-2 inches, breadth 11. 3. Vespertilio tesselalus. R. (Netted bat.) Tail half of total length, hairy above, upper incisores 2, remote, lower 6, body fallow above, head pale, dirty fulvous beneath, with a faint fallow collar, shoulders white, wings hairy at the base, with 2 hairy white spots above near the thumb, membrane blackish, netted of fulvous internally and clotted of same externally, shafts fulvous, nose bilobate, ears nearly concealed by the hair. Length 4 inches, breadth 12. 4. Vespertilio cyanopterus. R. (Blue wing bat.) Tail one-third, 2 incisores above, 6 beneath, body dark gray above, bluish gray beneath, wings of a dark bluish gray, shafts black, ears auriculated, longer than the head. Length 3 inches, breadth 10. 5. Vespertilio melanotus. R. (Black back bat.) Tail one-third, brown above, gray beneath, body blackish above, whitish beneath, wings dark gray, shafts black, ears auriculated, rounded. Length 4 1-2 inches, breadth 12 1-2. 6. Vespertilio calcaratus. R. (Spurred bat.) Tail one-third, body dark brown above, dark fallow beneath, wings black, shafts rose-coloured, a spur at the inner side of the elbow, hind feet black. Length 4 inches, breadth 12. 7. Vespertilio monachus. R. (Monk bat.) Tail one-fourth, hairy above, fringed laterally, body pale, fallow above and below, head and neck covered with a longer fur of a dark red fallow, wings dark gray, shafts red, hind feet black, nose red, ears concealed in the fur. Length 4 inches, breadth 12. 8. Vespertilio phaiops. R. (Blackfaced bat. Tail one-third of total length, naked, mucronate, body dusky bay above, pale beneath, face, ears and wings blackish, 4 incisores in the upper jaw, 2 on each side, divided by a large flat wart, unequal, the outside ones larger and bilobed, 6 small incisores at the lower jaw. Length 4 1-2 inches, breadth 13. 9. Vespertilio megalotis. R. (Big-eared bat.) Tail three-eighths of total length, body dark gray above, pale gray beneath, ears very large, duplicated, auricules nearly as long. Length 4 inches, breadth 12 inches. The wild rats of the western states which I have already observed, amount to more than 15 species, of which 10 at least are new, belonging to the genera Musculus, Lemmus, Gerbillus, Spalar, Cricetus, &c. they are, 1. Gerbillus megalops. R. (Big-eye jumping mouse.) Body gray, belly white, eyes black, very large, ears very long, white inside, snout black, tail longer than the body, black with a white tuft at the end. Total length 5 inches, body only 2 inches, in the barrens of Kentucky, &c. 2. Gerbillus leonurus. R. (Lion-tail jumping mouse.) Body fallow, ears very long, white inside, tail as long as the body, black, with a fallow tuft at the end. Length 6 inches, body 3. 3. Spalar trivittata. R. (Three-striped mole rat.) Body fallow, with 3 large brown stripes above, white underneath, ears small, acute. Length 7 inches, without any tail. In the woods, near brooks, &c. 4. Cricetus fasciatus. R. (Brindled stamiter.) Body fallow, brindled, with black on the back, white underneath, legs and tail ringed of black, tail two-fifths of total length, ears oval, acute, pouches hanging outside as bags. Length 8 inches. It burrows in the barrens. 5. Sorex melanotis. R. (Black-eared shrew.) Body pale gray, white beneath, ears erect, black outside, white inside, neck and body elongated, tail nearly as long, gray. Length 5 inches. Vulgar name, corn mice. 6. Sorex cerulescens. R. (Bluish shrew mouse.) Body bluish above, white beneath, ears large, gray, tail gray, as long as the body. Length 4 inches 7. Musculus leucopus. R. (White feet mouse.) Body brownish, fallow above, white beneath, head fallow, ears large, blackish, tail as long as the body, pale brown above, gray beneath, legs and feet white. Length 5 inches. 8. Musculus nigricans. R. (Blackish rat.) Entirely blackish, belly gray, tail longer than the body and black. Length 6 inches. Common name, black rat or wood rat, lives in woods on seeds and nuts. 9. Lemmus talpoides. R. (Mole lemming.) Dark gray, belly whitish, tail one-sixth of total length, ears small. Length 4 inches. Vulgar name, ground mice or snow mice. It burrows like the mole, and burrows in winter between the snow and the ground. It lives on roots, &c. 10. Lemmus albovittatus. R. (Whitestriped lemming.) Fallow, with 5 white longitudinal stripes, the middle one extending over the head to the nose, tail truncate, one-sixth of total length. Length 4 inches. A most interesting small animal; vulgar name, nursing mouse. The female carries her young on her back, she has 6 pectoral teats; she lives on corn, seeds, &c. The singular fact in the natural history of the squirrels, that some of them castrate each other, has been doubted by many, but I have now received the testimony of reputable witnesses, who have seen the operation performed; it is done by the females, who unite, several against one male, in the season that they become troublesome to themselves and their young it is not done without a hard battle, which often lasts a whole day. This fact may inculcate several moral lessons, one of which is, that we must not despise all the vulgar opinions, but put them to the test of experiment; it is by such a test that I am enabled to acquaint you that the vulgar opinion concerning the hogs devouring the rattlesnakes, is not true; they eat all the harmless snakes, but refuse to eat and even to come near a dead or a live rattlesnake or coppersnake; they even refuse to eat their flesh when boiled with corn and disguised, even the corn itself is refused. There are at least 20 species of snakes in the western states, many of which are new; I shall notice a few of them. 1. Coluber argentea. R. (Silver snake.) Entirely silvery, only 8 inches long. 2. Coluber rubricella. R. (Red-breast snake.) Black, breast red, length three or four feet. Harmless. 3. Coluber velox. R. (Racer snake.) Black, belly white, tail blue underneath, 8 feet long, slender, very swift. 4. Coluber ichthyoplaga. R. (Fishing snake.) Dirty brown, with large irregular spots of a dark brown. Length 5 or 6 feet. It lives on fish; a catfish weighing 12 lb. has been found in the stomach of one of them, 5. Crotalinus cyanurus. R. (Blue-tail rattlesnake.) Yellowish, with large transverse brown bands, tail black above, blue underneath, head fulvous, a black spot under the chin. Length 5 to 6 feet. They sometimes eat and swallow whole rabbits and turkeys. I have added about 20 species to my former catalogue of the fishes of the Ohio, Wabash, Green River, &c. making altogether nearly 60 species, all new and undescribed except 5 or 6. I have also discovered 4 new genera; here follows their scientific and vulgar names, with the descriptions of some of them. I mean to give their full descriptions, natural history, and figures, in a paper which shall bear the name of Ichthyologia Ohiensis. 1. Lepisosteus platostomus, R. Alligator fish. 2. Lepisosteus stenorhynchus. R. Garfish. 3. Anguilla laticanda. R. Ohio Eel. 4. Cyprinus fasciolaris. R. Mullet. 5. Cyprinus trachiaphas. R. Brown mullet. 6. Exoglossum argentum. R. White chub. 7. Olmerus albula. R. Whitefish. 8. Bodianus calliops. R. Bride perch. 9. Pogostoma leucops. R. New genus. White eye. 10. Erox vittatus, R. Jack pike. 11. Erox fasciolaris. R. Salmon pike. 12. Catostomus amisopturus. R. Perch buffaloe. 13. Catost amblodon. R. Black buffaloe. 14. Catostomus velifer. R. Sailor fish. 15. Glossodon chrysops. R. Gold-eye herring. 16. Clupea chrysochloris. R. Golden shad. 17. Silurus pallodus. R. White catfish. 18. Silurus cerulescens. R. Blue catfish. 19. Glanis limosus. R. Mud catfish. 20. Accipenser heptipus. R. Brown sturgeon. N. G. 21. Dinoctus truncatus. Blunt nose sturgeon. R. N. G. 22. Litholepis adamantinus. R. Diamond fish or devil jack. This last fish is the greatest wonder of the Ohio, it bears large flinty pentagonal scales, which are ball proof and strike fire with steel. This new genus differs from Lepisosteus by its oblong shape, mouth under the head, snout elongated, dorsal and anal fins opposite and equal. My new genus Dinoctus, differs from Accipenser, by having 2 dorsal fins and no abdominal fins. The Pogostoma differs from Sparus by having 2 dorsal fins and 6 barbs at the mouth. Anguilla laticanda. R. Black above, white beneath, head flat, tail rounded, broad, dorsal fin and lateral line beginning over the pectoral fins, reaching 4 feet in length. Esox vittatus. Brownish above, white beneath, two lateral blackish stripes on each side, anal and dorsal with many rays, this last before the anal. Length from 3 to 5 feet. Bodianus calliops. Green, with a lateral black band, belly white, back and fins with flexuose black lines nearly diagonal, dorsal fin along the whole back, first ray elongated, prickly, tail entire, eyes red. Length 8 to 9 inches. Respecting botany, I proceed in my investigation of the vegetation of the western states, and in the inquiry of the geographical range of plants, the results of which may appear in a Chloris Occidentalis. I have already seen nearly 800 species of plants in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, while scarcely 200 were stated to grow there. I have collected many rare plants, and several new genera and species. I have also seen drawings of the famous scarlet and yellow dye of the Osages and Missouri Indians, which is kept by them as a great secret; it was sold for a valuable consideration to the gentleman who has liberally made it known to me. The scarlet dye is the root of a species of trillium, the yellow dye is probably a new species of menispermuno, or a new genus: both dye readily with allum, and afford a most beautiful and permanent colour. ART. 5. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. Description of certain Military Sites, in the neighbourhood of New-York, famous during the Revolutionary War; and an Account of the Heights of the Pallisado Rocks, and of the Highlands, as seen by Passengers in the Vessels navigating the Hudson between NewYork City and Albany. In a Letter from Captain Alden Partridge to Dr. Mitchill, dated New-York, August 29, 1818. Read to the Lyceum of Natural History, August 31, 1818. DEAR SIR, SENSIBLE of the deep interest you feel in the cultivation and diffusion of useful knowledge generally, and especially that which relates more particularly to our own country, I take the liberty to present you with a summary account of my late pedestrian excursion up the North River as far as the village of Haverstraw, for the purpose of determining from barometrical and thermometrical observation, the altitudes of the several most prominent heights and eminences within that distance; and from thence to Judge Pierson's manufactory on the Rammapoo-to ascertain in like manner the altitudes of the high grounds in that vicinity. I left New-York at seven o'clock on the morning of the 24th instant, crossed in the horse-boat to Hoboken, whence I directed my course to Fort Lee, where I intended to commence my observations. I arrived at Fort Lee a little after ten o'clock. Of this work, so celebrated at a very interesting period of our revolutionary contest, scarcely a vestige now remains. The parapet is almost levelled with the common surface of the ground, and the ditch, which must have been very shallow, is nearly filled up. The outlines of the fort, however, can be traced. It was a square, fortified with four bastions. The dimensions of its several parts, which I measured, were as follows, viz. each curtain 36 yards in length-each face of the bastions, 14 yards-each flank, 6 yards, and the diameter of the work, from either curtain to the opposite one, 60 yards-gorges of the bastions the same as the faces. It is situated on a commanding eminence, nearly half a mile from the river, and at an elevation of 311 feet above highwater mark. The ground falls off abruptly in front, next the river; but on the other sides the slope is gradual. As far as I could discover, it commands the country on every side within the range of cannon shot. It is well situated for a covering work, but is too far from, and too much elevated above the river, to be of essential service in commanding the channel. To have manned it completely would have required a garrison of about 700 men. There were several batteries below the fort, nearer the river, which might have annoyed ships considerably while passing them. I am convinced, however, that the river cannot be defended by batteries at this place. It is too broad, and the channel too straight for that purpose. Ships in passing could be exposed only to a cross-fire, which would not be much regarded. On a craggy precipice, about half a mile to the northeast of Fort Lee, and at an elevation of 301 feet above the river, was situated another small work called Fort Constitution-and sometimes the ten-gun battery. This work is so completely dilapidated, that I found it impossible to trace its outlines or determine its figure. I left the site of Fort Constitution about twelve o'clock, and directed my course northerly, along the summit of the steep rocks, (or palisades,) which I continued for about ten miles, repeating my observations with the barometer, on the most prominent points, and occasionally descending to the river for the purpose of repeating the observations at high-water mark. The prospect from the more elevated parts of these rocks, is very beautiful. The city of New-York is clearly distinguished at the distance of nearly twenty miles. The sound is seen stretching far away to the eastward, and we look down upon all the intervening country as upon a map. A considerable part of Long-Island is also distinctly seen. To the westward, the descent is generally very gradual, into a well-cultivated country. I arrived near the lower cluster about four o'clock, when 1 left the summit of the rocks, directing my course to the upper cluster, and from thence to the village of Tappan, which I reached (in the rain) a little before sun-set. This village is celebrated as being the place where Major Andre, adjutant-general of the British army, was confined, tried, and executed as a spy, during our revolutionary war. I took my quarters for the night at a public house, kept by Mr. Dubey, postmaster of the place, who soon informed me that was the same house in which Andre was kept a prisoner. He also showed me the room in which he was confined, and told me it was in very nearly the same state as at the time of his confinement. The dimensions of this room by accurate admeasurement, I found to be as follows, viz. length 18 feet 6 1-2 inches, breadth 11 feet 7 1-2 inches, height 7 feet 5 inches. The north wall is of stone; on the other three sides it is enclosed by brick walls. It has one window on the west side, from which the place of his execution can be seen, and one door at the south end, opening into a passage about 8 feet wide, which crosses the house from east to west. August 25th. Weather very rainy and unpleasant-I, however, started about eight o'clock, to visit the place of Andre's execution and burial. This is on a beautiful and commanding eminence, about half a mile west from the village of Tappan, at an elevation of 123 feet above the floor of the room in which he was confined, and 200 feet above tide-water in Hudson's river. The place is distinctly marked at a distance by two small cedars about 8 foot high, one of which has grown out of the southeast corner of the grave, and the other on the north side nearly opposite the centre. The grave can be plainly distinguished-it has a small head and foot stone, but without any inscription, and is encompassed by a small enclosure of rough stones loosely placed upon each other. I have been thus minute upon this subject, because I conceive that every circumstance connected with it, cannot fail of being interesting to Americans. Having remained at the grave until I was completely drenched with rain, I returned to my lodgings, and about ten o'clock took up my line of march for the Sloat (so called), where I arrived about 11 o'clock, when the storm having considerably increased in violence, and beating directly in my face, I concluded to halt. I waited until about one o'clock, when the rain abating in some degree, I renewed my march for Nyack landing, where I arrived about four o'clock. Here I repeated my observations at high-water mark, and immediately after commenced climbing the Verdrideker Hook mountain. The ascent is very steep, but I got to the top without much difficulty. The prospect was very fine. After visiting both of its summits, I descended on the north side, and directed my course to the village of Haverstraw, which I reached about sunset, with, I believe, not a dry thread in my clothes. Here I took up my quarters for the night. August 26th. I started about five o'clock 57 in the morning to ascend to the high Torne, a lofty summit west of the village of Haverstraw, and about one mile and a half therefrom. The ascent is steep, and in some places difficult; I, however, reached the top in safety,-visited both the north and south peaks, making the necessary observations on each-enjoyed a noble prospect-descended to the landing-repeated my observations at highwater mark, and returned to my lodgings in about two hours from the time I started. About nine o'clock I left Haverstraw for Rammapoo, (distance 18 miles,) where I arrived about one o'clock. I presented the letters of introduction with which yourself and Mr. Hopkins were so good as to furnish me, and was received by Judge Pierson with all that politeness and hospitality which, from your previous account of him, I had been led to expect. His two sons immediately volunteered to accompany me to the summit of the TORN mountain, (the most elevated peak in the vicinity,) distant from his house about one mile and a half. We started about two o'clock, and in one hour were at the highest summit. The prospect from this elevation is grand. In a clear day New-York can be distinctly seen from it, and although when we were on it, the weather was cloudy, yet we could distinctly see SNAKE HILL in the rear of Hoboken landing. After having made the necessary observations, we commenced the descent of the mountain, and returned about four o'clock. I left the hospitable mansion of Judge Pierson in his carriage (which he politely offered), attended by his son, who accompanied me about four miles; the road then becoming bad, I left the carriage, walked on four miles, and took up quarters for the night. August 27th. I started at sunrise and walked on twelve miles, which brought me again to Tappan village-where, after paying a second visit to the place of Andre's execution, I took breakfast. I left Tappan about 9 o'clock, and directed my course for the summit of Closter mountain, a little south of the territorial line between New-York and New-Jersey, which I reached in about one hour and a half, and recommenced my observations. I then continued my course southerly, along the summit of the rocks, repeating my observations on the most prominent points, until I arrived at Bompey's Hook, about two miles above Closter dock. As there appeared to be no peaks elevated much above the common range between this place and where I left |